(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of bowed string musical instruments and, more particularly, to the field of bow training device that trains players to maintain a level of preferred bow-to-string pressure.
(2) Description of the Related Art
Skilled bowed string instrument players must learn how to apply bow to the strings with proper pressure in order to generate quality sound. Typically players rely on listening to the generated sound to determine the optimal bow pressure on the string. As the bow moves up and down, players also need to adjust hand and arm muscles to maintain or control a preferred level of bow-to-string pressure. Unfortunately, listening to the generated sound is the only feedback a player can get and it may take several years of practice for a beginner to train his/her ears. What is needed is a training device that provides visual readout of the bow-to-string pressure. Players then can use the pressure readout to practice the hand and arm coordination that generates preferred bow-to-string pressure. U.S. Pat. No. 6,777,600 to Daring describes a training device for bowed string instruments. The device comprises of hollow finger holder attached to the base of the bow. The player inserts his/her little finger to the finger holder such that the thumb/other fingers and the little finger form a “lever-arm” to adjust the bow-to-string pressure. Although this training device helps train player to use the little finger to form a “lever-arm” mechanism for bow-to-string pressure manipulation, the player still needs to rely on the generated sound to determine the proper bow-to-string pressure he/she should apply. It is obviously that the prior art recognized the need of manipulating the bow-to-string pressure, but it failed to identify the need of providing the bow-to-string pressure feedback to the player. Therefore, a training device that measures the bow-to-string pressure and provides this information to player in real time is needed.